President Biden announces his second immigration policy in two weeks; we look at the potential political fallout and how it could impact the presidential election. Senator Ted Cruz introduces legislation to combat a growing problem: non-consensual deepfake sexually explicit images. A North Texas teenage victim and her mother speak out about the issue. With four days until the first major debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, experts explain why both candidates could win the debate, even though polls show most people have already decided who they’ll support on Election Day.
Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest edition of “Eye on Politics,” premiering June 23rd.
New protections
The Biden administration is offering new protections to roughly half a million people who are in the U.S. illegally and married to U.S. citizens.
The program offers a streamlined path to permanent residence and ultimately citizenship.
Applicants must have been residing in the United States for at least 10 years as of Monday, June 17th.
Those who qualify for the program are allowed to stay in the U.S. while their application is processed, avoiding deportation and obtaining work permits.
“The Statue of Liberty is not a relic from American history. It represents who we are today. I also do not accept the idea that we must give up on border security in order to remain a welcoming America. That would be a false choice,” Biden said.
Former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blasted the idea while campaigning in Wisconsin last week, and also criticized Biden. “Biden is going to officially grant mass amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants who have come into our country,” Trump said.
Other public reactions fell along party lines.
Republicans criticized the new program, but Democrats welcomed it.
“This is keeping families together. This is just the president continuing the job that, frankly, Republicans should have been doing,” Rep. Mark Veasey, D-Fort Worth, told CBS News Texas.
“This is what the Border Patrol calls a pull factor – a magnet that draws people into the United States who know that if they wait long enough, President Biden will somehow let them stay in the United States,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said on the Senate floor.
Biden’s White House announcement came 12 years after former President Barack Obama unveiled the DACA program, which allowed roughly 500,000 “Dreamers” who came to the U.S. as children to stay in the country and avoid deportation.
Juan Carlos Cerda of Dallas was just 3 years old when he came to the U.S. with his parents. “As a DACA recipient myself, the 12th anniversary of DACA is very special,” Cerda said. “Because DACA has allowed me to work legally, to drive legally, to start a career, to have a family, to own a home.”
The new program is based on an existing immigration provision known as “parole.”
Paul Hunker, a former chief legal counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas, said there’s a difference between that program and DACA: “It’s firmly rooted in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The president clearly has the power to parole. So one of the problems with DACA that we’re seeing in court is that judges are saying the president or the administration doesn’t have the authority to take this action.”
Biden’s announcement comes in an election year and two weeks after he announced new executive orders to reduce illegal immigration.
The order would effectively halt asylum grants between legal ports of entry if the number of encounters with migrants at the southern border reaches a certain threshold.
Jack spoke with SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson about the potential political ramifications of the two executive orders.
Check out Jack’s interview with SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson below.
Counterattack
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have introduced a bipartisan bill to crack down on deepfake revenge porn videos and photos.
The bill is called the “Take It Down Act.”
It would be a felony to create and distribute non-consensual sexually explicit photos or videos.
If convicted, the offender faces up to two years in prison if the victim is an adult and up to three years in prison if the victim is a minor.
The bill would also require social media companies to remove images within 48 hours of receiving notice from victims.
This is an issue that Aledo High School student Elliston Berry was victimized by a classmate.
Berry and her mother, Anna McAdams, appeared at Senator Cruz’s press conference at the US Capitol along with other victims to speak out about the issue.
Check out Jack’s interviews with Elliston Berry, Anna McAdams, and Senator Cruz below.
Showdown
President Joe Biden and former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump will face off in their first major debate on Thursday night.
It will be the first time they have met in person in four years.
While all presidential debates are historic, this one will stand out in several ways: it will be the earliest debate, there will be no studio audience, and the microphones of candidates who are not speaking will be cut off.
Jack spoke with SMU’s Director of Debate, Dr. Ben Voss, ahead of the debate.
Check out Jack’s interview with SMU Debate Director Dr. Ben Voss below.
